V. SHARPENING METHODSIN POST-PROCESSING 31
3rd PartySharpening
Software
finely-detailed landscapesand architecture, etc. usually need more sharpening) and
noise levels. (Sharpening accentuatesnoise, especially in shadow areas.) There are
manyother Unsharp Mask “tricks” such as applying sharpening in the Lightness
channelin the LAB mode in Photoshop rather than the entire image in RGB.
There isno “right answer” for sharpening. What looks great for one viewer may seem
excessive to another, and vice versa. Optimum sharpening levelsalso depend on output
size, viewing distance and printing methods. For instance, manyprofessional wedding
photo labsrequest their customers to send in unsharpened files so that the lab can
applytheir own unique custom sharpening algorithms, which often vary according to
printsize.
In fact, generallyspeaking it’s a good idea to save an unsharpened version of each
image file so thatyou’re always working from a “clean slate” so to speak, should there
ever be a need or desire to applya different sharpening technique at a later date or for
another application. (Thisis one of the best reasons for shooting RAW files.) Remember
thatsharpening an image is like using permanent ink: it’s easy to apply, but difficult if
notimpossible to remove.
The necessityof sharpening digital images prior to printed output has resulted in a wide
varietyof 3rd-party sharpening filters and plug-ins. Some of these, such as nik
multimedia’sSharpener Pro, operate within Photoshop and other plug-in compatible
programs. Others, such asDigital Domain’s popular Qimage software are standalone
applications. Although Canon doesnotofficially endorse 3rd-party products, we
encourage usersto explore the available options in image sharpening software. Here is
a partiallist of current sharpening filters and applications:
Vendor: nikmultimedia, inc.
Software Title: Sharpener Pro
Web Page: http://www.nikmultimedia.com/sharpenerpro/usa/entry.php
Vendor: DigitalDomain, Inc.
Software Title: Qimage
Web Page: http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/
Vendor: Fred Miranda
Software Title: Intellisharpen II
Web Page: http://www.fredmiranda.com/software/
Vendor: Jonathan Wienke
Software Title: Sharpening Actions
Web Page: http://visual-vacations.com/Photography/SharpeningActions.htm